Thunder ruin my NBA Draft...probably had more to do with the Lightning and Hail though

I had no reaction to anything the Thunder did last night, because there were blackouts all over the New York Metropolitan area. My house still doesn't have power, and our alarm decided to go off at 4 in the morning. Plus, there's no hot water. So I'm not exactly chipper.

The thing that bothered me the most was that I missed the NBA Draft. So to start let's recap the Thunder's draft night.

The Thunder decided to send the 21st and 26th pick to New Orleans to jump up to number 11 to take Cole Aldrich. Aldrich wasn't the most athletic big man in the draft; it remains to be seen how an up-tempo offense like the Thunder's will adjust when Aldrich comes into the game. But, Aldrich gives the Thunder a solid post presence down low that they will need if they want to compete with teams like the Lakers out west.

Overall, its a good pick, though it would have been a much more exciting to watch had they sent all three picks to Golden State and jumped to number six to take Greg Monroe. His passing skills would have fit in great with the offensive weapons the Thunder already have.

General Manager Sam Presti kept wheeling and dealing. He gave up the 18th pick (Eric Bledsoe) for the rights to a future first round pick from the Clippers. The Clippers roster seems to be shaping up, but there are a lot of 'if's. They'll be competitive next year IF Blake Griffin gets healthy, Al-Farouq Aminu's athleticism translates into production, and Baron Davis is in shape. So basically, with the Clippers luck, the chances are pretty good that the pick they gave OKC will be high in the draft.

However, the Thunder could have addressed their other huge need-three point shooting- with Avery Bradley. The Texas guard went 19th to the Celtics. He could have helped unclogged the middle for all the Thunder slashers.

Either way the first round for the Thunder was probably a success. They didn't get a blue chip big man, but with a guy like Kevin Durant, the team may only need solid defense and rebounding from its center. Similar to the Bulls in the 90's.

Even though it would have been exciting to see Avery Bradley getting so many open looks in Oklahoma City, the Thunder give themselves the opportunity to go deep in the playoffs, and still have a lottery pick next season.

Presti was able to address the team's needs while still drafting one of the most talented players still available. On top of that, he also set the team up nicely for the future. Right now, I'd say they get a B+ for the draft. That grade goes to an A- if the Clippers tank next year. It would have been an A if they had picked up Monroe or DeMarcus Cousins, but that seemed like it would have been a difficult move to pull off. Kind of like trying to go to the bathroom when everything is pitch black.

Thunder trade for more picks...Mega Deal in the Works?

The Thunder traded its 32nd pick for the 18th pick and Daequan Cook from the Heat. Cook shouldn't be an afterthought in this deal; He shot close to 40% from three two years ago, and if he find that stroke again, he could be a huge threat for the Thunder with the way they attack the basket. As for the pick, it now gives Sam Presti the 18th, 21st, and 26th pick in the draft. He can go two ways with this.

Presti can load up on three young players and give even more young depth to a team that already has a great core of talented young players. OR he can package those three picks to a team in the top ten looking to move down in the draft. The team that everyone keeps talking about is the Golden State Warriors at number six. If the Thunder moved there, they would most likely have a shot at Greg Monroe, or maybe even Demarcus Cousins.

The opportunity to add a blue chip big man to pair with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook could be too much to pass up for Presti. If the Thunder were to get that 6th pick and use it wisely, you're looking at a team that could dominate the West for the decade.

Durant Going Against the Grain

Unlike the other superstars in the NBA, it seems like Kevin Durant won't be shopping his services around the league. This article on NBCSports.com by John Krolik talks about Durant's decision to stay in OKC. Interesting that he feels so strongly about staying in Oklahoma City. Durant's from the Maryland area, went to college in Texas, but he considers Oklahoma City his home. Maybe Lebron could learn a thing or two from Durant about loyalty, especially considering he was born and raised in the Cleveland area.

The most annoying sound in the World: Coming to An Arena Near You?

Anyone watching the World Cup the past week is saying the same thing, "Those horns are so freakin' annoying!" They're talking about the Vuvuzela. It's a South African horn that fans blow during soccer matches. They're really all anyone can talk about. The French blamed them for its tie, and there is concern that they may be turning off viewers who are just casual soccer fans. That's because it sounds like a pack of angry bees or The Plastics are swarming down on the pitch. They are not only annoying, but also make communication and concentration quite difficult.

"It's impossible to communicate. It's like being deaf." Argentine Forward Lionel Messi said.

So, why bring this up? Well, the Vuvuzela would be a fantastic weapon for fans at basketball games. Can you imagine if Rajon Rondo stepped to the line with 20,000 Vuvuzelas blaring? Or how pissed Doc Rivers would get at Jack for blowing a Vuvuzela in his ear? It could completely change the dynamic of the game. It would create an atmosphere the players are not used to and would make it incredibly uncomfortable to play.

Now, what about the Lakers? Well, the fans would need to be smart. Only blow the Vuvuzelas during Celtic free throws and BIG Laker runs to rattle Boston.

To be honest, I'm shocked none of the hooligans at the TD Garden thought of this first.

Next season, it would be a great idea to start with the horns in the beginning of the year. By the end of the season fans could blow them non-stop during a game; their team would be used to it by then, the other team would be completely flustered by the Soccer atmosphere in the arena. Basketball is all about communication. Do you think the defense would be able to call out off the ball screen and back door cuts with Vuvuzelas blaring the whole time? Neither do I.

All even at 2-2, NBA Finals has not disappointed

The 2010 NBA Finals has been one of the more unpredictable series I think I've ever seen. So far, Kobe's been good-but not great (40% FG)- he hasn't had a signature "Kobe" fourth quarter (7 for 27 fg in 4th quarters this series), and he looked downright awful in Game 3 when he went 1 for 6 from the field in the 4th quarter. Fortunately for Bryant, he was able to hide behind Derek Fisher's 13 points in the final quarter.

But the game that really blew my mind was game 4. It had everything. Paul Pierce punched referee Eddie Rush in the face. Rasheed Wallace FINALLY got a T for freaking out after a foul (he did it in game 3 and game 4 before he finally got a technical), 5'8'' Nate Robinson got in 6'11'' Lamar Odom's face, and Big Baby Davis came out of nowhere as the Game 4 MVP. Oh, he also drooled. Big Baby. Drool. The NBA. Where Irony Happens.

Durant Wins, but Barkley steals the show

Here's a video of Kevin Durant playing Rajon Rondo in Horse at the 2010 All-Star Game. This clip, is the last ten minutes of it. It's mostly the sudden death three point shootout that TNT said they had to have because the game was running over time. But Durant and Rondo don't miss for a really long time. Durant gets buckets. I think he knocks down like ten straight three balls. The real highlight is listening to Barkley root for the game to keep going, just to screw over TNT.

Who should the Thunder draft?

So with the Lakers taking care of the Thunder, the focus shifts to the off-season. The first order of business? The draft at the end of June. The Thunder will be picking out of the lottery for the first time since they moved to OKC, but they have four picks, two in the first round. There are no gaping holes, but the four picks give the team an opportunity to add depth to their bench, and shore up some of the weak points on the roster, like three point shooting.

They'll want to take a look at Guard, Thabo Sefalosha isn't the answer, but last year's first round pick, James Harden, may be. He was solid, and consistent. He averaged no more than eleven points a game in any month, but no less than nine. He also was the team's leading three point shooter at 37.5%.

The Thunder also aren't big enough yet to compete with the big boys out west consistently. Jeff Green has proven to be a solid NBA player, but he's similar to Cleveland Forward Antawn Jamison in that he's a college 4, not an NBA 4, and doesn't handle size well.

Serge Ibaka proved he can be a big contributor during the series against the Lakers. He helped Thunder overcome lack of size, by being such a force down low.

NBAdraft.net has OKC taking Gordon Hayward with their first round pick. I think its a bad fit. Another College 4 who needs to play 3 in the pros. Also, he's an overrated shooter. The Butler forward shot under 30% from three last year. How can he help the Thunder from the outside when the three point line is pushed back even more?

In the first round the Thunder have picks 21 and 26. There really aren't any spectacular three point shooters who seem like late first round picks. So the Thunder should probably add some front court depth. Florida State sophomore Solomon Alibi seems like a perfect fit at 21. The 7'1'' center is long and athletic. He already knows how to play defense too, unlike other long athletic players who never learned (Amare Stoudemire comes to mind). With such a strong defensive presence down low, this pick will take a lot of pressure off Kevin Durant on the defensive side of the court. He'll know that he can take some possessions off and won't have to pick up a cheap foul if he lets his man go by him. With Alibi down low, all of those lay-ups will be contested shots. That type of defensive insurance will help keep Durant fresh and out of foul trouble.

With the other pick in the draft, I think the Thunder should look to take a flyer on a foreign, similar to the way the Spurs did with late picks like Tony Parker (21) and Manu Ginóbli (57). So with this pick I like Nemanja Bjelica. He's a 6'10'' Small Forward from Serbia. Like almost all the other big Small Forwards from Europe, he can shoot the three. He could really open up the court for the slashing playmakers the Thunder already have. Also, he can develop in Europe for the next few years, and stay off the Thunder's cap while they try to add free-agent talent to their roster. If you think GM Sam Presti won't take a shot at a European late in the first round, you're probably wrong; he was the Spurs assistant GM before he came to OKC.

Oklahoma City has the 32nd and 51st pick in the second round, and I think they should go with shooters on these, because they need immediate three point help, something Bjelica probably won't give them. At 32, Jordan Crawford's the pick; he shot 39% from three last season, and came up huge in the NCAA tournament this year. He carried Xavier to the sweet 16. If you didn't follow him in March, know this, he's a gamer. He seemed to pull clutch shot after clutch shot out of thin air in the tournament (Oh, he did this too).

Jon Scheyer should be the other pick in the 2nd round. He shot 38% from three last year, but that was with every ACC team's best perimeter defender hanging all over him. He could be lethal on the Thunder. Doubling Durant and Russell Westbrook when they penetrate could get really risky with Scheyer spotting up for threes next year.

The Thunder team has all the pieces in place to make another really solid run next season. If these picks pan out, the team could really contend for the Western Conference title next year. They better, and quick. Durant can become a free agent after the 2011 season.